Harry Styles is still reeling from the “difficult” death of One Direction bandmate Liam Payne.
“Full transparency, that’s kind of how I feel. I feel like even the idea of talking about it is a little bit of a struggle for me,” the “Watermelon Sugar” crooner said in a candid interview with Apple Music.
“When he passed away, I think there was a time when I had a hard time acknowledging how weird it was, in some ways, for people to join me in my grief,” he added.
Mr Stiles, 32, said he had “very strong feelings” about Ms Payne’s death but was aware there was a “desire from others” to “express” their feelings publicly.
“It’s very hard to lose a friend. It’s hard to lose any friend, but it’s very hard to lose a friend who is very similar to you in many ways,” he said.
“I think I saw someone with a very kind heart who just wanted to be great,” he added.
The pop star said Payne’s death forced her to take a hard look at her life.
“What do you want to do with your life? Like, how do you want to live your life? And I think the biggest way to honor your deceased friend is to live your life to the fullest,” Stiles said.
“It’s really sad because he seems like a very special person,” he concluded.
Payne died in October 2024 after falling from the balcony of her hotel room on the third floor of the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was 31 years old.
The “What Makes You Beautiful” singer suffered multiple injuries, including a skull fracture that led to internal and external bleeding.
At the time of his death, Payne had a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit and was under the influence of multiple drugs, including cocaine, crack and benzodiazepines.
In November 2024, Styles, along with his other One Direction bandmates Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, gathered outside London to remember Payne.
In February of the following year, the court dropped the manslaughter charges against three of the five people in connection with Payne’s fatal fall.
Charges against the late singer’s friend Rogelio “Roger” Nores and two Casasul Palermo hotel employees were dismissed. Ezequiel Pereira and Brian Paiz, who are accused of selling Payne cocaine, are still awaiting trial.
If you or a loved one is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call SAMHSA’s national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
